v.
to sleep
睡觉
to sleep
To go to sleep or take a rest in bed. A split verb that separates when duration is added: 睡个好觉.
Common Usage & Traps
- 睡觉 — to sleep; to go to bed
- 去睡觉 — go to sleep
- 早点睡觉 — go to bed early
- 十点半睡觉 — go to sleep at 10:30
- 我在睡觉 — I am sleeping
- 睡觉吧 — let's sleep; go to bed
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睡觉八个小时睡八个小时When you add how long, use 睡, not 睡觉. 睡觉八个小时 sounds like you stuck a clock onto a packaged phrase.
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我睡觉在床上我在床上睡觉Where you sleep goes before the action. English says sleep in bed; Chinese says on bed sleep.
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我睡觉十点半我十点半睡觉A clock time goes before 睡觉 in normal speech. The story line uses a compact schedule style, but normal talk flips it.
When do you say 睡觉 and when do you just say 睡?
Use 睡觉 for going to bed; use 睡 when you add hours, quality, or results.
睡觉 is the everyday phrase for sleep or go to bed. 睡 is the bare action word. If you say how long or how well, use 睡: 睡八个小时, 睡得很好. You cannot say 睡觉八个小时. You can also split them: 睡了一觉.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| With hours | 睡八个小时 | 睡觉八个小时 |
| With quality | 睡得很好 | 睡觉得很好 |
| Short nap | 睡一会儿 | 睡觉一会儿 |
What is the difference between 我在睡觉 and 我睡觉?
我在睡觉 means I'm sleeping right now; 我睡觉 describes a habit or fact.
Use 在 before 睡觉 for an action happening now. If someone calls during a nap, say 我在睡觉. Without 在, 我每天十点睡觉 is a routine. Adding 在 to a routine sounds wrong: 我在每天十点睡觉.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Right now | 我在睡觉 | 我睡觉（when asked what you're doing now） |
| Habit | 我每天十点睡觉 | 我在每天十点睡觉 |
| Phone call | 我在睡觉，等会儿说 | 我睡觉，等会儿说 |
Can you say 我睡觉十点半 for 'I go to sleep at 10:30'?
No. Put the clock time before 睡觉: 我十点半睡觉.
Chinese normally places when something happens before the action. 我十点半睡觉 is natural. 我睡觉十点半 sounds like English word order. The story line 睡觉十点半 is a compact schedule note, not normal conversation.
“学习到九点，睡觉十点半。” (I study until 9 o'clock, then go to sleep at 10:30.)
“学习到九点，睡觉十点半。” (I study until 9 o'clock, then go to sleep at 10:30.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | 我十点半睡觉 | 我睡觉十点半 |
| Question | 你几点睡觉？ | 你睡觉几点？ |
| Reply | 十点半睡觉 | 睡觉十点半 |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Meet Dr. Mi, a doctor and teacher at Sichuan University. This simple HSK 1 story shows his daily routine from morning to night, helping you learn time expressions and everyday activities.
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他晚上十点多 睡觉 。
Step through a full day—from morning routines to bedtime—and pick up practical phrases for telling time and talking about your own schedule with a typical Chinese rhyme.
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学习到九点， 睡觉 十点半。
Everyday greetings are a gateway to natural Chinese. Practice time-based hellos like “早上好” and “晚安,” learn to address teachers with the respectful “您,” and see how families skip formalities to speak warmly at home.
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想去 睡觉 说晚安！
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